Chapter 113 Heatwave "You said it, you forgot."
Jiang Yueming's abdominal wound had healed to about 70-80% after treatment. Looking back now, he realized how reckless his actions were. He genuinely couldn't think of a better solution; he had no other choice but to gamble. Actually, he was prepared, but when he stabbed, he didn't know where he stabbed. He wasn't a medical professional; he just stabbed randomly, gambling that Li Yong would back down and that he wouldn't die.
He was so desperate to get rid of Li Leshan from Li Yong that he was willing to do anything, no matter how extreme the method, as long as it would ultimately achieve Jiang Yueming's goal.
As for his aunt, he kept it a secret, a complete lie. He told her he had acute appendicitis, that he'd had surgery as soon as he woke up, and that she wanted to see him. Jiang Yueming refused to let her see him, saying he couldn't keep the secret if she did. He said he was embarrassed, that such a grown man with such a minor injury shouldn't need to see anyone, that it wasn't necessary. In reality, he didn't dare let Lin Cuiqin see him, nor did he dare go to a proper hospital, fearing the police would arrive the moment he entered.
I was in so much pain every night that I had to take painkillers, and it was difficult to get out of bed and walk. I lay in bed like a vegetable for a week before I got a little better.
As for Li Leshan, his initial statement about staying away from him wasn't what he truly meant. He wanted to know more about Li Leshan's situation than anyone else, something he dreamed about constantly, but Li Leshan's current condition made it impossible for him to be seen by anyone. He would never tell Li Leshan about this; if he knew, he might feel guilty for the rest of his life. Jiang Yueming's intention was never to make him feel guilty.
Senior year of high school doesn't start in September; it actually starts on June 9th. After the college entrance exams, the exam halls were cleared, and we were given a long-awaited three-day break—this was a city-wide policy, since everyone had to take the exams. However, the top-tier high school classes at Shishi High School didn't have this break. The students and teachers were all taken to an empty room with only desks, chairs, and a blackboard to continue classes.
Jiang Yueming returned to his old ways, which involved bringing lunch to Li Leshan. The tutoring center was incredibly hard to find; even the Japanese devils couldn't find it, but the teachers at Shigao High School had managed to locate it.
It was June, and the weather was hot. Jiang Yueming, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, squatted under the shade of a tree, waiting for the students in the Tsinghua and Peking University classes to finish their lessons. As he walked, everything was quiet. Even the usually noisy commercial street near the school was silent; the loudspeakers had been turned off early, for fear of disturbing the students' exams. After all, in the eyes of the Chinese people, the college entrance examination is a matter of paramount importance that cannot be underestimated.
He only just learned that the school would provide free eggs and zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) to graduating high school students a week before the college entrance exam. Eggs were for nutrition, while zongzi had a superstitious connotation, symbolizing "achieving high scores with a single zongzi." He hoped he would receive the same treatment on his exam day. Although Jiang Yueming didn't particularly like these foods, he was determined to take advantage of the school's cheap deals, even if the line stretched all the way to America.
“Le…here!Here!” Jiang Yueming waved to Li Leshan from a distance.
When Li Leshan saw him, he was clearly a little dazed. He hadn't seen or contacted Jiang Yueming for a while. During that time, he went to school, worked, and stood downstairs at Jiang Yueming's house as usual, but he never bumped into Jiang Yueming. He thought he was standing there in the wrong place.
Actually, it's just that Jiang Yueming brought this upon himself and couldn't get out of bed.
"I've brought you food." Jiang Yueming opened the lunchbox, inside was a nutritious meal that Cui Cui had prepared with all her might. When she heard that it was for Li Leshan, she put in 100% effort. "Eat it while it's hot."
He lifted half of it, then suddenly remembered something and quickly moved away from Li Leshan. Feeling that the distance wasn't enough, he moved even further away.
"Lele," Jiang Yueming stood far away, her voice even a little soft because of the distance, "Is this far enough? Any further and I can't see you anymore."
Li Leshan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his heart ached. He gestured to Jiang Yueming, after all, the way he meant by "staying away" wasn't this kind of "staying away." "Come here."
Jiang Yueming was stunned for a moment, then rushed over and squatted down on the ground, ignoring the pain in her wound. "Don't worry about me, don't worry about me, I've already eaten. You eat quickly, you have to go study again soon."
He squatted down, staring intently at Li Leshan. He scrutinized his face closely, and also the school uniform jacket he was wearing even in summer. You see, the uniforms of Shishi High School and No. 3 High School are exactly the same style; they're probably made in the same factory, except for the color.
A pang of sadness shot through my heart. I wondered, would he... still cut his wrist? Was the wound on his wrist any better? Did it still hurt?
Jiang Yueming hesitated, wanting to tell Li Leshan that he no longer needed to be afraid of Li Yong, but he couldn't. He couldn't tell Li Leshan yet.
Li Leshan obediently opened his lunchbox and started eating. He and Jiang Yueming squatted under a tree by the roadside like nothing was wrong. Actually, he hadn't expected Jiang Yueming to come. Li Leshan's original plan was to just find a place to eat whatever he could find, and if he couldn't find one, he would just leave it at that.
“There are no restaurants around here,” Jiang Yueming said, genuinely wondering how they had found this godforsaken place, where there wasn’t a soul in sight for miles around. “I was worried you’d be hungry, so I came. After you finish eating, I’ll… I’ll leave.”
Jiang Yueming hadn't been to this place much before; to be honest, he didn't even know it existed. He only found out from Cao Fan that the entire Gao Bei class came here for classes, so he quickly searched the area for a restaurant, but after walking almost two kilometers, he couldn't find one.
"Thank you," Li Leshan said in sign language.
Jiang Yueming frowned slightly, not understanding why he was being so polite. Resisting the urge to reach out and touch Li Leshan's hair, she said somewhat sadly, "No need to thank me."
"Oh!" Jiang Yueming suddenly realized, and he hurriedly stood up. "I forgot to bring water!"
Because he was so eager to see Li Leshan, he only focused on bringing his own lunch and didn't even think to buy water when he passed by the supermarket. Now the nearest supermarket was two kilometers away, so he glanced at the bicycles next to him and said hurriedly, "Sit down for a bit, I'll go buy you a bottle of water."
He was about to leave when Li Leshan grabbed his wrist. Li Leshan's hand was very cold, and his wrist felt icy as he held it.
"Don't buy it." Li Leshan gestured. "It's okay if you don't want to drink it."
“I forgot,” Jiang Yueming was still thinking and regretting, “I remembered it before I came.”
Looking at his reaction, Li Leshan felt as if something was stuck in his heart, an indescribable feeling, heartache, and even the pain of breathing.
"Did I take up your time?" Li Leshan said, his eyes lowered.
He didn't have to travel so far just to deliver a meal, nor did he have to feel guilty for forgetting to bring water. The more Li Leshan thought about it, the more he felt that he had really held Jiang Yueming back too much.
It's been like this for all these years.
“Actually, you don’t need to be so good to me.” Li Leshan looked at him. Jiang Yueming didn’t need to do any of this. Looking at the thin layer of sweat on his nose and forehead, he was actually reluctant to let him run around like that because of him, because he wasn’t as good as Jiang Yueming imagined.
Jiang Yueming now knows very well what kind of person he really is.
"Ah." Jiang Yueming looked up and met his gaze, then quickly looked away. "Oh. Well, I'm free, and I don't have anything to do."
His kindness towards Li Leshan had become almost a habit over the years—a habit ingrained in his very being. He couldn't help but be kind to Li Leshan, but now Jiang Yueming couldn't help but wonder: did his kindness burden Li Leshan, or make him feel uncomfortable?
"You need to review, preview, and prepare for the exam," Li Leshan wondered why he had nothing to do; he even felt he didn't have enough time. "Physics, math, English..."
"Does that matter?" Jiang Yueming asked directly.
Why... does Li Leshan always ask this? Why does he always take these things so seriously? Is taking the college entrance exam the only way out in life? Does he have to be like those students in the Tsinghua and Peking University classes, like him, devoting all his energy to studying every day and ignoring everything else?
Why doesn't he ask himself how he sleeps, how he lives, and what he's thinking? Does Li Leshan have nothing else to ask besides these things?
"It's more important than bringing me food, isn't it?" Li Leshan remained silent for a long time.
"Is it more important than me seeing you?" Jiang Yueming asked again.
“Okay,” Jiang Yueming didn’t even need to know the answer; he already understood. “It’s important too. Because in your eyes, getting into college is more important than anything else.”
"Isn't that right?" Li Leshan asked, puzzled. He didn't understand. Wasn't that right? That was his only chance to escape Li Yong and live a good life with Jiang Yueming. If he didn't seize this opportunity, what would all his patience during this time have been for?
He frantically studied for exams, even during his night shifts. He dared not stop for a moment; he couldn't think of any other way. From childhood to adulthood, he had no choice but to do this. He had dedicated seventeen years of his life to getting into university and escaping Li Yong.
Taking the college entrance exam is the only way out for him in life.
only.
"That……"
What about me?
Jiang Yueming wanted to ask, "What about me? If nothing is more important to you than this..." But he didn't want to take over Li Leshan's entirety; he just needed a little time, just a little time.
"Actually, you're trying to say that I've wasted your time, right?" Jiang Yueming remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, her voice dry. "I've delayed your studies, delayed your practice problems, and this time, how much of your time have I wasted again?"
Li Leshan was taken aback. He quickly used sign language, "What did you say? Why do you think that?"
"Do I have to think this way?" Jiang Yueming asked, puzzled. He smiled wryly. "Is this the way I want to think?"
"Your time is precious, we can't waste it..."
Jiang Yueming impatiently interrupted him, straddled the car, and braced his long legs on the ground. "Precious? How precious? I've wasted so many years, do I need another year or two?"
“You said it, you forgot?” Li Leshan gestured hastily, his fingers trembling slightly. “You said I’d go wherever I wanted to go. If I go to Beijing, will you come with me?”
The shadows of the trees swayed, and the cicadas chirped incessantly. This sentence hung in the sweltering heat of midsummer, making it hard for the two boys to breathe.
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